That Sweet, Sweet St. Louis Blues Summer Nostalgia

Welcome to the doldrums of August, where the most we can do is reminisce about past seasons and dream about upcoming ones. Bleedin’ Blue editor Andrew Martin agreed to answer a few questions about his favorite St. Louis Blues players, uniforms, and how much he would give for a pair of season tickets, as well as predictions for the Blues’ future.

With that, we’ll dive right in.

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Kate Cimini: Who are your top-five Blues players? Walk us through them: why do you love them?

Andrew Martin: 1. Keith Tkachuk: A 500 club goal-scorer, 9 year St. Louis Blues veteran, U.S. Olympian, and hard-nosed. It’s hard to not like a player that gave as much to his teammates as Big Walt. I always enjoyed watching him play. His glory days with the Blues were my formative hockey years, and he was always my favorite player growing up.

2. Al MacInnis: His blistering slap shot was always a joy to watch, and utilize in video games. His No. 2 was retired by the Blues and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a better shot from a defenseman than that from Al MacInnis.

3. Alex Pietrangelo: Arguably the most talented defenseman on the team. His goal scoring ability and defensive ability are both above average. With his size and puck control he will make a tremendous defensive specialist for the Blues for years to come.

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4. Vladimir Tarasenko: The Blues’ version of the modern-day NHL superstar. He is still quite young and has many years of development left before he can fully be aware of his true potential as a goal scorer. Signing him to a club-friendly contract was the smart thing to do. He may be young, but locking the player up for the foreseeable future was a move I can agree with Doug Armstrong over.

5. David Backes: It’s hard to dislike Captain America. His willingness to stand up for his teammates, as well as himself, is something to be admired. His stat sheet could use some improvement, as well as his PIM, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a player who lays his body on the line more than Backes.

KC: Best Blues uniform?

AM: My all-time favorite Blues sweater is the blue, yellow, and red number from the ’90s. It had the trumpets on the shoulders and blue note on the front. It blended ’90s style along with the namesake of the team in the brass instruments on the shoulders. I’d love to see it come back as a retro jersey.

KC: Favorite Blues moment from the 2014-2015 season.

AM: Even though the Blues ended up losing in this round, my favorite moment was Vladimir Tarasenko’s hat trick against the Minnesota Wild. He scored his first career playoff hat trick to even the series at 1 game apiece and the series was very much up for grabs at that point.

KC: Fancystats: Corsi or Fenwick? Or a third option to be named?

AM: Between the two, I’d have to side with the Corsi. I understand the Fenwick doesn’t include blocked shots, but as an evaluator of talent and offensive efficiency I place more value in the chances created with the shot than how many get turned aside or miss the net. You miss every shot you don’t take, and the way I see it the more you fire on the net the more shots have a chance of sneaking past defenders and hit the net. Fenwick is important as it shows exactly how many shots are right on net and unblocked, but I’d like to see how many actual shots are taken by my offense.

KC: How much would you pay for season tickets that put you right behind the St. Louis bench? Organs are not an acceptable form of currency.

AM: Difficult question. I’d say I could live without a house, right? Probably just try and live in my car. No more rent payments as I’d put it all towards the tickets. Besides, I’d be in the arena 41 times a year, right? So that’s some time out of the car.

Doug Armstrong has failed to find the right pieces to get past the first round of the playoffs.

KC: Can you draw us a picture of Steve Ott, The Instigating Otter?

AM: I’d say he’s typical of the otter you’d see at the zoo. He knows he’s being watched and tries to put on a show while going about his otterly business. This may include acrobatic leaps across a pond (or ice) and playfully egging on his otter compatriots. Steve Ott knows he’s being watched from the stands as well, and wants to entertain the Blues faithful. He also wants to do his duty as a skater and win games while getting under the opponent’s skin.

KC: It’s 2016, and Backes, Steen, and Pietrangelo are running for President. They are the only candidates, and their party doesn’t matter. Which one do you vote for?

AM: It’s hard to vote against someone who has been dubbed the Blues’ Captain America. Our own leader of the STL Avengers would make the best President. He wouldn’t be submissive to the demands of competing agendas or opponents foreign or domestic. Backes would be a fearless leader this country desperately needs.

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KC: What’s your prediction for the postseason? How far will the Blues get? Who will they face? How many games will there be in each series?

AM: The Blues will lose in the 2nd round of the playoffs this season. They really haven’t done anything to improve the roster that bowed out in the 1st round to the Minnesota Wild last postseason. While moving on from T.J. Oshie sends a message of urgency to the rest of the roster, I’m not sure it will be enough. The team will beat the Winnipeg Jets in 5 games in the 1st round, and then get knocked out by the Chicago Blackhawks in 7 games the next series.

KC: If you could make one change to the front office, coaching staff, or roster (and only one) what would it be?

AM: I would get rid of the GM. It all starts with him, in my opinion. The Blues drafted young talent that was touted to be the saviors of the franchise.

Doug Armstrong has failed to find the right pieces to get past the first round of the playoffs. This Blues team should be at least getting to the conference finals every couple of years. The team is yet to even make a splash in the playoffs since the lockout. It’s time to bring some new blood into the room. This new GM should have experience with a winning club and know what type of player it takes to win a Stanley Cup.

Next: Keith Tkachuk's Five Best Moments

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